


Meant To Be

by Ashlie



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmate-Identifying Timers, Soulmates, Teenage One Direction, Ziall Horlik, larry - Freeform, soulmate, ziall
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-05
Packaged: 2018-11-22 04:40:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11372766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashlie/pseuds/Ashlie
Summary: Soulmates. It's a system we've used for years, yet when you're a teenager it's hard enough without a constant reminder of when you're going to meet the person you're meant to spend you're entire life with.Niall Horan is a simple kid. A transfer student from Ireland who likes to play his guitar and hang out with his two best friends, Louis and Liam.Zayn Malik is quiet and mysterious. The only person who seems to really know him is his best friend Harry, but everyone says the pair are bad news.So what happens when the two are destined to be together for life?A Ziall Horlik Soulmate AU





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey Guys!! Here's chapter one!

*** Niall POV ***

Everyone has it-  
That small timer just below the wrist of everyone's dominant hand counting down to the one moment our entire society revolves around. There are rumors of course; rumors of a time the whole world didn't rely on the clock ticking down on our wrists. Make some people want to forget it. Try to fight it. But there's a reason we have managed to make it the past four-thousand years using the system. Soulmate screening keeps human conflict low. It keeps people happy.

At least that's what they tell us in school. Your timer will run out one day and will be replaced by their initials. It's how you know to keep a look out; that you are ready to meet your soulmate in the next forty eight hours. 

But glancing down at my wrist I didn't feel ready. The closer this bloody timer seemed to get to zero the less ready I felt. What if they hated me? What if they had a prejudice against Ireland? Or hated Nandos! 

"You staring at that fookin' timer again mate?" Thank god Louis was here or I would probably end up lost in my worries for hours on end. It's happened before. "How much time is left on it?"

I held my arm out for him, letting Louis push back my sleeve to reveal the small timer there. 

7:03:54:09

One week until my timer was gone. I was only sixteen, I wasn't ready to settle down with my soulmate yet! But it seemed the universe thought I was, and whoever this soulmate of mine was seemed to be ready too, or at least they better be or we'll both be in for a rough time when these seven days are up and we're both freaking out. 

"Niall, you with me? Fuck Li, I think we lost him again." When did Liam get here? Had he been here this whole time and I was too distracted by my soulmates upcoming appearance to even notice my two best friends? See, this is why I wasn't ready for the whole soulmate thing. Louis and Liam are all I have and I could not lose them or ruin our friendship over some guy I didn't even know yet.

I had met Louis first, last year when I tried out for the school's football team. Lou's a few years ahead of me and was made captain last year.  Even though I was awful and didn't make the team, Louis being the sweetheart he is, invited me to hang out with him and a few of his friends after the tryout. We've been joint at the hip ever since. He's like the older brother I already have and don't need another of.  
Not long after, Louis introduced me to his boyfriend, Liam, who was almost if not more protective than Louis and the biggest teddy bear I've ever met. They weren't soulmates, not officially anyway, but we all knew when their timers went off it was going to be each other's initials on the other's wrists. They've already won class couple two years in a row, and are a guarantee for this year too. 

"Niall." This time it was Liam whose voice pulled me from my thoughts. "Come on mate, day's over, we're going to my house for pizza remember?" It was the promise of food that finally pulled me out of my daze, and by the matching smirks on Louis and Liam's faces they new Li had said the magic word, but they didn't comment on it. I got picked on enough for my constant intake of food, kids calling me fat and ugly all the time. I'm a growing boy! 

Maybe I had a small tummy, but so do most people. Louis does and they don't pick on him for it, at least that I know of. But he's popular and funny and captain of the footie team, and I'm just the awkward transfer student from Ireland.

"I think our leprechaun needs to be fed Lou." Liam finally let a chuckle escape as he shook his head. 

"Oh does he now?" Louis asked, leaving both Liam and I to start nodding, although myself a tad more eagerly. "Alright, alright. Let's go before he eats us."

Liam hooked one arm around my shoulders and the other around Louis's waist, pulling the older boy close to his side. As I watched Liam tilt his head slightly to press a gently kiss against Louis's temple, I glanced down at my timer one last time.

7:03:48:54

Yeah, just maybe I am ready to meet my soulmate.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Chapter two is up! I'd like to thank everyone who's read, commented, bookmarked, etc. I'm trying to update as often as I can, but at the very least there will be one update every week! 
> 
> Do you think I should continue the whole book in Niall's POV or have Zayn's next chapter?

"Keep next Saturday open." was all Louis said as he entered Liam's living room, arms full of snacks as he dumped them onto the coffee table between them all. I looked up at him eyebrows knotted together in confusion. Saturday was Louis and Liam's date night, why would I have to be free?

"One week." Liam said from his spot on the couch, reaching out to grab Louis, wrapping his arms around his waist before pulling him onto his lap. "In a week you're gonna meet your soulmate and if you don't think we're gonna be there to make sure he's going to treat you right you are sorely mistaken Niall Horan." You could almost hear his finger wagging in the way his voice sounded. 

"You will do no such thing." Niall replied, quickly continuing to speak in order to cut Louis off, who had just opened his mouth to make some smart reply, Niall was sure. "The last thing I need is the two of you to going all mama and papa bear style on his arse and ruining the only chance I'll ever get at happiness. We're not all lucky enough to meet our other half over a box of animal crackers." Most people aren't lucky enough to ever even get a story that cute. Louis had stolen Liam's elephant so Liam in return pushed Louis off the money bars. Their mums made the two boys apologize and they've been inseparable ever since, Lou being Liam's first kiss when he was thirteen. They started dated two years after that. "I need to make a good first impression."

"Ni, you're adorable." Louis had finally managed two get his two cents in. "Any guy who isn't immediately obsessed with you is an idiot. But you're also innocent,and naive, and there are a lot of idiots out there. You're one of my favorite people in the world, Li and I need to make sure this tool doesn't hurt you."

"How do you know he's gonna be a tool?" Niall asked, standing up as the doorbell rang to signal their pizza had finally arrived and headed to the front door. As he was paying Louis spoke up again.

"Any guy who wants to date you is a tool Ni." Louis shifted in Liam's lap to reach for a slice out of the box Niall had just placed on the table with the rest of the food. He pulled out a slice, taking a bite before holding it to Liam's lips so he could bite off a piece as well, they were actually kind of disgusting they were so happy.

"Any idea who it might be?" Bless Liam for the subject change, no matter how subtle. "Heard that Devine kid's timer is getting pretty low, and he plays the drums. You always did like musicians."

"Ni needs someone to balance him out better than that." Louis argued, shaking his head. "Like that Styles kid, he's in your year right? I have music theory with him and he's such a cutie. Sweet as they come too."

Niall just continued to let the couple argue over who they thought his soulmate would be as he reached for another slice of pizza. Did he really have that much of a type they thought they could pin down who Niall was meant to be with just by that? Sure, he loved music. Anytime Niall wasn't at school or with Liam and Louis he was locked up somewhere, messing with different cords on his old guitar, but that didn't mean his soulmate was going to share that passion.

"What about Styles's little partner in crime, isn't he in your theory class too?" That was the next thing Niall managed to pick up. "He hasn't met his soulmate yet, could be him."

"You mean Zayn?" Louis scoffed, climbing off Liam's lap completely to sit cross legged next to him on the couch, eyes wide and slack-jawed. "Covered in tattoos and barely says a word to anyone expect when he's fookin' around with styles in the back row."

"You both have tattoos Lou." Niall wasn't sure why he was defending Zayn, he barely knew him aside from the fact that he was in the same year as him. And it wasn't just Louis who talked about him like that, everyone said he was bad news. He liked to smoke, and never payed any attention in classes, too into whatever the little book he always kept on him was. He defiantly wasn't for Niall, who was constantly bouncing off the walls and hated getting into any trouble. "But yeah, it's not going to be Zayn."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's chapter 3! I went with Zayn's POV this time around, let me know what you think in the comments!

*** Zayn POV ***

5:03:47:02

Five days. In five days that damn timer is done and will be left with with two initials that will never go away. They're never leaving, even if things don't work out between my soulmate and I, rare but it does happen, their name will be written on my wrist forever. It's almost funny in a way, whenever people tell me my tattoos are going to be on my body forever I scoff. But this feels so much more real, I don't choose my soulmate. A bad tattoo will cause a few laughs directed at you maybe, a regret to pass off on too many shots the night before, but a bad soulmate means you'll be alone or miserable for your entire life. 

"Haz." My curly haired best friend never worries about this kind of stuff. Maybe it's before he's still got almost two months left on his timer, but Harry was just more confident than him in general. Behind his quirky style and tattoos littering his body, he was an adorable little ball of sweetness who could get along with literally anyone. His soulmate was going to be the luckiest guy in the world, no one who took thirty seconds to get to know Harry didn't adore him. "How am I supposed to meet my soulmate already?"

Harry looked over to me, a small sigh leaving his lips as he pulled his long curls up and into a messy bun. He stripped from his loose blouse and skinny jeans, leaving himself in just the boxers he usually slept in as Zayn put on his own pajamas. Harry had been sleeping over the first Friday of each month as long as he could remember, it was their tradition. "You're going to get drunk with me and forget about it for now." He said, pulling a small handle out of his overnight bag.

Zayn said nothing, just took the bottle from Harry's hands, opening it to take a large swig, laughing quietly as he handed the handle back over.

 

\---------

 

An hour later the bottle was gone and the two boys were feeling it, both giggling on top of Zayn's bed. "Okay, truth or dare?" Zayn asked Harry, shifting on the mattress to sit up straighter

Harry stopped to think for a moment before responding. "Truth." 

"What's really going on between you and Mrs. Davis?" Mrs. Davis taught their music theory class, and everyone in the class thought she and Harry had something going on. Of course Harry swore it wasn't true, but you never knew with these kind of things, rumors had to start somewhere.

"Just some flirting." He admitted, leaning back against Zayn's headboard. "I mean, she's hot. But nothing's happened. Truth or dare?"

They had managed to get Zayn shirtless, steal another bottle of liquor from Zayn's parents liquor cabinet, and even get Harry his first, and probably last, puff of spliff before Zayn yelled "I dare you to call that little think you're in love with!" Grabbing Harry's phone before zooming through the younger boy's contacts.

"Louis is not a twink!" Harry responded, reaching for his phone which Zayn held out of his grasp. "And he has a boyfriend. Zayn stop-"  
But it was too late as Zayn shoved the phone to his ear, giggling in the background as it was ringing. Harry just put it on speaker phone as a voice that was definitely not Louis picked up.

"Who dares call upon my bestie!" An equally giggly voice roared over the line, followed by rounds of laughter and someone screaming 'Niall give me back my phone!'

Fuck, that was a cute giggle... Zayn thought as he took another drag, yelling back into the receiver. "Vas Happenin!" He said, breaking into another fit of drunken giggles. "One of you lovely gents has a secret admirer."

"Zayn!" Harry whined, causing Zayn to pull back the phone quickly, covering it with this hand.

"Don't say our names, they'll know it's us! Now say hello to your one true love H-Hamster?"

"Hamster?"

"It's your code name."

"I... I'm sorry." Harry sighed, finally grabbing the phone from Zayn before hanging up, leaving the two boys in a fit of laughter. "I can't believe you just did that!" Harry shook his head, searching for the bottle of liquor again, grabbing it and downing it quickly.

**Author's Note:**

> Also on Wattpad at  
> http://my.w.tt/UiNb/aGvjepKmrE


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